Brickaville

Brickaville, officially named Ampasimanolotra, though better known by its original name of Brickaville, is located along the RN2 route between Antananarivo (225km) and Tamatave (134km). The town's name come from Mr Charles Bricka, the once Director of Public Works Department during the French colonial period.

Brickaville is an agricultural centre with plenty of fruit and vegetables on offer. The unusual and exotic mangosteen fruit is available here. An area close to Brickaville once included cacao plantations, which was when Chocolaterie Robert, the first chocolate factory in Madagascar, was located in the town. As the cacao farmers eventually moved to the Ambanja region in the northwest of the country, the cacao plantations were converted into sugar cane fields. A train track between Antananarivo and Tamatave runs through Brickaville.